Why is praying so hard?

Have a concert and lots of people show up. They even show up for regular worship services but if you have a meeting devoted to prayer, I mean really praying, they won't come. Why is that? I think there can be a number of reasons why that is so.

One is that praying is hard work. It's hard to keep one's mind from wandering. It's hard to devote the time to talking to God. We are so busy. We often think of only manual labor as hard but labor of the mind and heart can be equally intensive.

The other reason we don't pray is that deep down we are not convinced that prayer really works. By this I mean that we are not convinced that God really answers our prayers with any consistency. He answers some request, he doesn't answer others and it seems that prayer doesn't make any difference. If I pray or don't pray, life will have positives and negatives.

I think early Christians had the same struggles. The reason I say that is because there are so many admonitions in the Bible to devote ourselves to prayer. If it were easy, or if we all knew experientially that prayer makes a huge difference, I don't think there would be a need to devote ourselves to prayer.

So praying takes commitment, consecration. It is something we do on purpose because we choose to, because we believe it's important. Prayer doesn't happen on accident unless you find yourself in dire straights-- then everyone prays!

Let me give you three motivations to help you choose prayer even when you don't really feel like praying. One is the obvious challenge of God's Word. Devote yourself to prayer. Paul on numerous ocassions says just that, "Devote yourself to prayer." You and I can not call ourselves obedient to the Scriptures unless we devote ourselves to prayer.

Second, the clear example of the early church. In Acts 1, before Pentecost, the Bible clearly says the early Christians were devoted to prayer. After Peter's and John's arrest they return to the group and they errupt into a prayer meeting where the Holy Spirit shakes the house. And when Peter is released after another imprisonment, he returns to the group to find them praying. They believed that praying was imperative. Why was that so? I believe because of the example of Jesus.

Jesus' example is our third motivation for praying. He did it. Hours at a time. He did it alone. He led the group. He prayed daily. He prayed while others slept. He chose prayer and he chose it often. If the Son of God prayed, should not we pray too? If it was priority to him, should it not be priority to us?

I don't understand prayer any better than you, but I believe that it is necessary. I believe God hears our prayers. I believe it means something to him. Won't you make a commitment to personal and corporate praying?

Dig for Joy

Dig for Joy!

Happiness is such an elusive thing. One moment you’re happy and the next, something happens to rob you of that happiness. But joy is meant to be different. Joy is meant to be the underlying bedrock that doesn't shift and move with the tides of negative circumstances. But boy is it still hard to choose joy. If one is not careful those waves of adversity can cover that rock of joy with sands of discouragement. Just as a Noreaster blows in the waves that carry the sand onto the beach roads, so can your joy be covered over.

So what’s the key? Dig! Dig for the joy. It's there. Make a choice to search for it; to choose it. Remind yourself of the truth of your life. If you are a believer in Jesus, God said that Jesus came to bring you joy, abundant joy. Jesus himself told us that no one would be able to take our joy from us so when the enemy tries, fight him for it!

But how Jimmy, how do I dig, to use your analogy? Well first we believe the truth that God loves us and nothing can separate us from His great love. Kay Warren defines joy as the , “The unshakable assurance that God is in control of all the details in my life. It is the quiet confidence that ultimately everything will be alright; and the determined purpose to praise God in all things.” Then we stubbornly refuse to allow circumstances to control our lives and our thinking. Instead we rest content in his love and trust in His future for us.

Lord, I want to be a joyous Christian. I want to walk in joy. Joy is my strength. When I am with out it, I am weak and vulnerable to the enemy’s temptations. So Father, please fill me with the joy of your Holy Spirit, even now!

From my heart,
Pastor Jimmy

The crocodile hunter is dead!

The crocodile hunter is dead. It's hard to believe that Steve Irwin is actually gone but it's true. One thing about him that sticks out in my mind was the passion with which he lived for what he believed in. Nature and animals were his thing and passion for them oozed from his very pores.

I was thinking, here I am, a Christian, believing that eternity hangs in the balance for the men and women I meet. I believe that God, the Creator of all things, wants to have a personal friendship with all of us, and not only do I lack passion, I'm actually apathetic. How can such things be? Lord, I ask you to please work in my heart today. Reenergize my passion factor. Kindle again the flame in my heart. Please! That I might not live a humdrum life but one set ablaze by the power and purposes of God. As someone else once said, "Let me burn out for you rather than rust out."